


Layla

by emski



Category: Original Work, Supernatural
Genre: Major Original Character(s), Multi, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-26
Updated: 2013-07-26
Packaged: 2017-12-21 10:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/899469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emski/pseuds/emski
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Layla Redding thought she lived a normal life, until a run in with a demon unveiled the secrets of her family's past and changed her life forever. She ditched her family, in an attempt to keep them safe. She met Sam and Dean Winchester, and many others, who provided emotional support and helped her track down the demon that threatened her. Though, as every hunter knows, her life will never have a happy ending.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to the Jungle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction to Layla's life, her struggle and her story.

I spent the first 16 years of my life in the shadows. Sheltered by my overprotective parents, I was home schooled and our house in the woods set out 30 minutes from the nearest town. I had dreams of escaping that little old house and running to the big city, where I could socialize and make a living from my drawings.

From the time I was a child, I was an artist, drawing and painting on every canvas my parents set in front of me. More often than not, my own bedroom walls became the place for my art. When I was old enough, and skilled enough, my parents allowed me to paint my own walls. I covered them with murals of beach landscapes, beds of flowers and grand mountains.

I had my whole life planned out in front of me. Every stone I needed to step on to reach my goal was clearly highlighted for my benefit. Then came that day. The day that would change my life forever. The day that ripped me out the shadows and tossed me into the sun so violently I almost burned. A story about the life of a hunter never begins with a gentle incline, we're always launched into the center of everything without a clue. A story of an innocent girl and a cool day in mid-summer. One that starts out like all the rest. A calm peaceful day, sun shining, starting out like any other. The most cliché description you can get ends up being the truth.

The first 16 years of my life were the most normal that a home schooled girl, living in the middle of nowhere can get. Being it just me and my parents, life got boring. One the weekends, I drove 10 miles down the highway just to get away from them. To have my moment of peace without the breathing down my neck. And that's where my story begins. In the drivers seat of my mustang.

Windows down. Classic rock playing on the radio. I drove down the highway without a care in the world, heading to my favorite spot in the woods I would escape to. I pulled up over the soft dirt, put the car in park, rolled up the windows and took the keys out of the ignition. I grabbed my journal that was resting in the shotgun seat and hopped out of the car. I found my usual rock perch and took a seat.

I opened to the 10th page in my notebook and began capturing my surroundings through a mix of pictures and words. I captured the crisp mountain air as it whispered through my lungs, I captured the lush state of the surrounding trees. As I was listening to the wind travel through the covered branches, I heard a faint wail. Thinking it was an animal, I didn't really pay it much attention. Then it got closer and I heard it again. This time, I was sure it was not an animal. It sounded like a human, crying for help.

I saw a shadowy figure in the distance. As it looked my way, I hopped behind the rock and peered over the top. The shadowy figure walked closer and I noticed it was carrying a person along with them, holding them by their shirt collar. I didn't know what to do. Trying help wouldn't do any good, it would only get me in trouble too. I grabbed my phone and hoped for a signal to no luck.

I looked over the rock as the shadowy figure threw it's victim to the ground. Then, I watched the most impossible thing happen. Thick, black smoke escaped through the shadowy figures mouth and into the victim's with a scream. I ga and covered my hand with my mouth so I wouldn't make a sound.

I was going crazy, this couldn't be happening. The victim stood up and looked over at me, her eyes were purely black. I ducked behind the rock, hoping she wouldn't see me. I had a decision to make. Wait 'til she leaves and run to my car then, or risk it and get out of here now. "Layla!" the possessed victim called.

This caught my breath. How could she know my name. My heart beat began to pound so fast, I though it'd rip out of my chest. In a split second, I grabbed my journal and hightailed it to the mustang. "I'll find you Layla!" She called again.

As soon as I felt the smooth car door handle, I pulled, jumped in, threw my journal to the side and tried to get the key in the ignition. "You can't run forever!" She taunted, sounding as if she was standing over my shoulder. But with I quick glance at my rear view mirror, I could see she was far from close.

Finally steading my hand enough, I floored it and sped the whole way home.

I ran into my house, panting. I felt as if I was a about to faint. Luckily for me, neither of my parents were home, so I could calm myself without their worrying. I walked to my room and sat down at my computer, searching on the web for anything to explain what I has just witnessed. Black smoke. Black eyes. I clicked on the first link that appeared on the screen, and when it loaded, the title of the web page, in big red letters spelled out: DEMONS.

I scrolled through the whole page, reading every bit of information my brain could register. Demons. Creatures from hell. Lucifer's children. Black smoke. Black eyes. Possession. Holy water. Salt.

Salt? I had that in my house. I could protect my family. I ran to the kitchen and tore through the cabinets, grabbing the large container of salt from the top shelf. I began pouring it in front of the doors and windows, just like the website said. I was almost done, when someone walked through the door.

My dad, home from town, walked in, dropping his bag of groceries onto the floor. "Layla!", he called to me at the top of his lungs.

I walked into the living room nervously, "Yeah, dad?"

He looked around, "Layla, wh-what is this?" He walked up to the window sill and pinched a bit of salt between two fingers.

"Salt."

He turned to me, with the pinch of salt in his hand, "I see that, Layla. Why? Why is there salt everywhere?!"

"Demons." I whispered.

He put his fists on his hips, "What?"

"Demons." I said, this time a little louder.

Dad threw the salt to the ground and got in my face, "How the hell do you know about demons, Layla?"

"I saw one, today, in the woods."

His face got softer, he believed me. He understood what I was talking about. Did he know about demons, too? Had he ever seen any?

"I'm sorry." was all he had to say.

"For what?"

He shook his head and relaxed his shoulders, "I tried, we tried so hard to protect you from this."

"From what? Demons?"

His eyebrows furrowed, "Stop saying that! Forget them, they aren't real, just stories!"

"But, I saw one--"

"Impossible! Just clean this mess up before your mother gets home!"

He stormed into the basement slamming the door behind him.

I grabbed the broom and began sweeping, collecting the salt I had used into a jar and went to my room. After that demon saw me, and how she knew my name and what she threatened I knew she would find me and if she did, my parents would be in danger.

After my parents were asleep, I grabbed a duffel bag from my closet and began packing. I threw in shirts, pants, socks and undergarments. I copied down the important stuff I had found online into the 11th page of my journal in case I didn't have Internet for a while, then threw my laptop and journal into the bag. The last thing I added was the jar of salt. I tiptoed through the kitchen, and grabbed 100 dollars from my dad's wallet on the way out.

I got to the car, and without a second glance, pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. I drove for hours, not really sure where I was headed exactly, but the further away from my parents, the better. I started to get low on gas and pulled into a gas station.

At this point, it was late. 1 or 2 in the morning, at least. I filled up my car and went into pay. I set my 100 dollar bill on the counter and the owner gave me my change.

"Anything to eat?" he asked.

I looked around, and my stomach began to growl. I didn't really notice it until now. "I'll look around."

"Well, okay. I'm goin' to the back, so holler when you're ready."

And with that, he headed through a door in the back of the shop. I counted my change a realized I would only have about 30 dollars left if I bought food. I looked around, I was alone. I caught glance of the cash register. I could easily take some, if I was quick, he wouldn't even notice and I'd gone before he could do a thing about it.

I walked up to the cash register and opened it. It didn't make a sound, luckily. I grabbed 500 something dollars and a few bags of beef jerky from the shelves, then spirited for my car.


	2. Simple Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Layla meets Dean Winchester, who gets her on the path to find and kill the demon who wrecked her life.

A local girl gone missing. I bet that would've been the headline in my town's paper. A search warrant would go out, issued by my parents. And when the word of my robbery hit home, the story would change. Local girl turned criminal, missing.

My parents would deny it. Their sweet little daughter couldn't rob a gas station. She was set up by the people who kidnapped her, they'd argue, never back down from their position that I'm a saint. That's how they raised me, sheltered from the world. They have every right to believe I'm innocent, to believe I was taken from my home and that I'm in danger. Because, in a way, that was true. I was taken from my home by that demon, and, because of the situation, forced to commit a crime.

24 hours before, I didn't even know I belonged to a country at war. That I belonged to a world where people were murdered on the streets for being in the way. Where people stole, and lied and cheated. And now here I was. 16 years old, really seeing it all for the first time. Driving down an empty highway with 500 dollars cash freshly stolen from a gas station and didn't even think about the implications of my actions for a second.

Around 7 am, I pulled over on the side of the road for some shut eye. I barely got any sleep, it was less then an hour, but it was something. I drove into the nearest town for a place to crash and some coffee. After I checked in to the cheapest motel, I stopped by a small diner on the corner. Family owned. And right then, I needed some family comfort.

The place was small and smelled like pancakes, which I couldn't argue. I sat down at the booth closest to the door and within a minute, the waitress was by my side. "Can I get you anything, hon?"

I looked up to her, and gave her a half smile and a nod, "Coffee...uh...black."

She smiled sweetly, "Coffee black, comin' right up."

Not a minute after she set the coffee in front of me, an F.B.I agent walked through the door. Thinking they were looking for me from my stunt at the gas station, I began to panic. But, calmed myself and sipped my coffee. He walked up to the counter and asked for someone, he was directed to him and they sat down for a chat. The fed flipped out his I.D badge, "Agent Tyler, I was wanting to talk to you about the recent murder of..."

The guy he was questioning began to freak, "I don't know nothin', boy. That was my wife, and I didn't do it."

The agent straightened his shoulders, his tone became softer, "I never said you did, Mr. Sampson, I am just here to ask if there was anything strange going on with your wife before she was murdered, did you smell sulfur or see any black smoke in the house, did she have any enemies?"

Mr. Sampson began to cry and buried his face in his hands. The agent sighed and leaned back in his seat, rubbing his eyes. The waitress walked over to his table, "You ain't gonna get nothing out of him, son, he's been broken since the day she died. Anyway, why's the feds back here, the case was closed."

The agent tucked his badge back into his coat, "Follow up, but I guess we aren't getting anymore."

The waitress shook her head and the agent walked out the door. This was a little suspicious. A federal agent, walking into a small diner in a small town, taking his time for a follow up when the case was closed and asking about sulfur and black smoke, which were both hints for the presence of demons. I had a gut feeling that answers lied within that agents head, so I put the money for my check on the table and left the diner.

"Hey, Agent!" I yelled, surprised at my outburst.

He turned around, "What? You have something to add to this case?"

"Not exactly, agent...?"

"Tyler." He flipped out his badge again.

"What? Are you the lead singer of Aerosmith?"

His eyes searched my face for answers, I caught his attention, he knew I saw right through him. "How'd you know I'm a fake?"

"Small town, dead case, and you were asking him if he smelled sulfur or saw black smoke, you were thinking a demon might have done this."

His eyebrows raised in bewilderment, "How'd you know about demons?"

"I saw one. Been running from it ever since."

"So you're a hunter?"

At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about, "A what?"

He straightened his face, "How long have you been running?"

I looked down at my shoes, "Yesterday."

"Yesterday? What are you, 18?"

"17."

"Well, even worse. Where is you family? Dead?"

"No, not yet."

"Not yet?"

"The demon watched me kill someone, they were going to find me, that's what it said..."

"Who said, who told you that?"

"The demon."

He rubbed his face, "Uh, your family should be safe, but you on the other hand, how you handling this?"

I took a deep breath, "Fine, I guess. I had to commit my first crime. Robbed a gas station of 500 dollars."

He smiled, "Comes with the job." He looked around and he lowered his volume, "We should talk in private, we don't want anyone to hear about this."

"I have a motel room."  
\-----  
We drove to the motel and walked into my room. I set the keys on the table and we had a seat. "The demon knew my name." I confessed.

This caught him off guard, "Did you recognize the person the demon was possessing?"

I thought back and tried to recall, from my blurred memories, if I knew them, "No. No, I'd had never seen them before."

He scratched the back of his head, "Strange."

"How long am I gonna have to run for? Is there anything I can do about this?"

He shook his head, "No, sorry. I wish I could help you with that, but once a demon's got your trail, you're gonna have to kiss normal goodbye."

Reality hit in his statement, "Oh."

He could tell I wasn't pleased with this development, "What's your name?"

"Layla, Layla Redding. And you, I'm guessing your last name really isn't Tyler."

"No, uh, the name's Dean Winchester."

I nodded my head, "So, what's next?"

Dean shook his head, he stood, took off his jacket and loosened his tie, "Get you some supplies, I guess. You said you had 500 dollars? I could point you in the direction of some hunters that would be happy to take you in."

"What about you?"

"Me? No, it's just me and my dad, besides, we take some pretty nasty cases and live on the road. Wouldn't you be happier some place stable?"

I sighed, "I guess."

He smirked. He was quite handsome. I couldn't help but smile uncontrollably back. But, who could blame me, I was a teenage girl and Dean was an attractive guy. He looked down at his watch and back to me. "We better get going, we can make it by tomorrow morning if we head out now."

"Make it where?"

"South Dakota, Sioux Falls. I have a friend there, well, he's more like family. He's a hunter. He'll take care of you."

I rubbed my eyes. My head pounded from stress and a lack of sleep. "I don't think I can drive that far right now."

"Who said anything about you driving, you can nap in the back the whole way there."

"What? What about my car? I can't just leave it here."

Dean sat down again, "Oh, yes you can. As long as you're driving that car, the cops and the feds can track you, and when they find you, they'll bring you home to your parents, and then... Well, I think you get the picture."

I sighed heavily and leaned back in my seat. "Okay, I just have to grab my stuff."

"I'll be waiting in the car."  
\-----

I slept in the back a few hours, but after a while I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep, so I sat in the front the rest of the way. For the first couple hours, we were mute, the only sound was the radio playing one of Dean's cassette tapes. After a while, I broke the silence. "So who's this family friend of yours? You said he was a hunter, anything else I should know about him, since I'm going to be staying with him for who knows how long?"

"His name's Bobby Singer, I've known him for as along as I can remember. He used to have a wife, but she died after she was possessed by a demon, which is the reason he started hunting."

I nodded my head, "Why'd you start hunting, Dean?"

He licked his lips, he seemed uncomfortable by the question. "Sorry for asking."

He shook his head, "No, it's okay. Uh, my mom, she, uh, she was killed when I was four, and my dad, my brother and I have been trying to find what killed her ever since. Well, not my brother so much anymore, he-he's been at Stanford the past 3 years."

"So, you have a brother?"

"Yeah, his name's Sam. He's kind of a genius when it comes to book smarts." Dean showed a grin of admiration, I could tell he was proud of his brother, but saddened by his absence.

"What about you?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you ever go to college?"

Dean smirked and shook his head, he took a glance at me and put his eyes back to the road, "No, I'm a high school drop out. I was never good at school. We traveled around so much when we were kids that I never really got the chance for any of that stuff."

"Oh."

"Enough about me, what about you? What's the story of Layla Redding?"

I took a deep breath, "Well, I've been home schooled my whole life, and I'm an only child, so pretty much the only people I ever talk to are my parents. Our house is in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, town's 30 minutes down the highway and closest house is 10. It was lonely and it was boring."

"Did you get along with your parents?"

"Yeah, I mean, we had our spats, every teenager gets into arguments with their parents."

Dean nodded his head, "Yeah, it doesn't go away, after teenage-hood. You'll see you'll get into fights with your parents--." He stopped himself, he realized where he was going. "Sorry."

"I'm never gonna see them again, am I?"

He took a deep breath, "Maybe, if you catch and gank this demon."

"Gank?"

He turned to me, "Waste?"

I lowered my eyebrows. "Kill?" He tried.

"What the heck is 'gank'?"

"It's a term hunters use."

"I see. So, am I a hunter now, or is there more to the job than that?"

"You're hunting down this demon now, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, yeah, you're a hunter. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

Dean licked his lips again, "The life of a hunter isn't anything plush, Layla. Friends are hard to come by and family is hard to keep close. Take me for example, hunting ripped my family apart. My mom, well, she..., and my dad was always distant and now my own little brother won't speak to me. I haven't talked to him in two years."

"Well, thank you for the preview of my bright future."

"What? Did you want me to candy coat it?"

I shook my head, "No, I guess not."

"See."

We stayed quiet for a minute. "Thank you," I finally said.

"For what? Introducing you to the life?"

"No, for giving me a chance. If I hadn't run into you, I'd be fending for myself. I probably would have died trying to go up against that dang demon."

"Dang demon?"

"Yeah?"

"What? You don't swear?"

"My parents never let me."

"Well, I'm warning you now, Bobby's a nice guy but, he swears like a sailor."

"Then I'll pick up some from him."

Dean laughed, "You're welcome."


	3. Gimme Shelter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean introduces Layla to Bobby Singer, who becomes her caregiver. Layla begins to learn the ways of the supernatural.

The car ride was long. We only stopped once and it was only because Dean wanted something to eat. Even though our trip started out in awkward silence, we filled the rest of it with stories, Dean mostly, since more happened to him in one day than to me in my entire life. He told me about when he first shot a gun and went on his first hunt. He told me about Sam, and although he didn't bluntly say it, I could tell that when Sam left for college, it broke Dean's heart.

As I was listening to his stories and sharing a love of classic rock music, I realized I would most likely have to live the same kind of lifestyle he had. Always on the road. Not a dollar to your name. Sleeping with a gun and jar of salt under your pillow. It was a lonely and threatening life.

But I also began to realize, Dean was the first person besides my parents that I had a real conversation with. It was nice sharing my opinions for once without having my parents glaring back, telling me I'm wrong. I always remember Dean as my first, not in the sexual sort of way, but he marked my first step to being my own person. Which is the whole point of that title, in a way.

We arrived in Sioux Falls, then at Bobby's place. We pulled up to the front door, and got out. I grabbed my stuff and Dean rang the doorbell. Bobby answered, "Dean, good to see ya, boy."

"Hey, Bobby."

They hugged and Dean motioned to me, I stepped up to the doorway. "Bobby, I have someone I want you to take care of for me."

Bobby looked at me in slight horror, then back to Dean, "Is she yours? She's to old to be yours, right?"

Dean rolled his eyes, "No, Bobby it's not like that."

Bobby looked at me again, "She isn't carrying your kid--?"

Dean's eyes grew, "No! Bobby, geez. Hell no, she's only 17, Bobby."

Bobby shrugged. I realized that this was a surprise to Bobby, he had no idea Dean was going to bring me here, "You didn't call and ask a head of time?"

"Ask me what?"

Dean sighed, "Can we talk about this inside?"

"Sure, come on in." Bobby opened the door for us and we stepped in.  
\----

Dean told Bobby my story.

"So, you want me to look after her?"

"Bobby, I'd do it myself, but you know how dad is."

I chimed in, "If it's any trouble, I'll just find some place on my own to crash."

Bobby shook his head, "No, it's fine Layla, you can stay. You don't know enough about what's out there to be on your own just yet. 'Til that day comes, call this home."

I smiled, "Thank you, so much, you have no idea what this means to me."

Bobby nodded. Dean stayed long enough to have a beer and then was off. Bobby didn't say much to me that night except to show me where the bathroom was and that I could crash on the couch.  
\-----

The next morning, we started bright and early with research. Bobby gave me a crash course on everything supernatural. "If you're gonna be stayin' here, you've gotta know this stuff."

He gave me books on everything, and I read them in full detail, copying the most important stuff down in my journal. A mix of text and diagrams highlighted the basics of what every hunter needs to know.

The days were filled with silence. Me, filling in my journal and Bobby researching. The only time this was broken was when he took a phone call or asked if I was hungry. I didn't mind the silence, but I began to get somewhat lonely and wondered if Bobby did, too.

About a week into my stay, we started making actual conversation. Bobby turned to me one night as I was sketching an image of a wendigo into my journal. "I'm sorry you were dragged into this, Layla."

I was confused by his apology at first, startled that he broke our on going silence, "It's not too bad, I guess. So far at least. As long as my parents are safe, I don't mind what happens to me."

"How'd you get so brave?"

"Circumstance."

"Demons are nasty creatures, they ain't easy to handle, and you sure as hell don't want to mess with them. I'll help you kill this demon if it comes our way, but I'm not lettin' you do something stupid."

I sighed, "Can't argue with that."

Bobby shook his head, "This life forces you to grow up to fast. You're 16 and already facing decisions a 40 year old might have trouble makin'. Look at Dean. He started out when he was 4 and was already takin' care of his brother. Hell, Dean raised that kid. Yeah, sure, John was there for the boys sometimes, but it was Dean that really raised Sam."

"Seems like a good guy, Dean."

"Yeah, one helluva hunter, too."

I smiled, "Get's into some crazy trouble I'm guessing, based on how you greeted us last week."

"That boy has a way with women." Bobby chuckled. He returned his gaze to his book, but took one more glance at me, "While we're talkin'. How well do you know your stuff? You've been here a week."

I closed my journal and set it aside, "Quiz me."

"How can you protect yourself from ghosts and demons?"

That one was easy, "Salt."

"Good. Anything else?"

I thought for a moment, "Holy water."

"Mmm hmm. How do you get rid of a ghost?"

I scratched my head, "Burn the remains."

Bobby nodded his head, "For just a week, I'd say you're doing pretty good."

"I'm doing my best."

"I have a job I'm takin' care of in town tomorrow, while I'm there, you could shop around if you need anything."

The next morning, we drove into downtown Sioux Falls bright and early. Bobby parked the car and grabbed some supplies out of the truck.

"It's just a simple ghost I gotta take care of, so it shouldn't take too long."

I was intrigued by the notion of hunting ghosts, since they were the only thing I really new how to tackle, "Could I come along?"

"No."

"Why not? I need to start somewhere."

"You're not ready just yet. Go grab something to eat, and we'll meet back here around 3. Got it."

"Yeah."

"And, if anyone asks, 'cause God knows how into everyone's business this town is, tell them you're my niece. We don't need any of that sort of thing goin' around."

"Got it. See you."

Bobby nodded and headed off down the road, I went in the opposite direction toward the town center.  
\-----

I stopped into the diner to grab some coffee and before the waitress even asked me what I wanted, it began, "You're new. What's you're name, sweetie?"

"Layla."

"Oh, that's a pretty name. Where you staying, hon, I didn't realize any houses were for sale."

"Oh, no, I'm staying with Bobby Singer. He's my uncle, my parents dropped me here last week."

"Singer? That old drunk?"

"Yeah, he's my uncle. Good ole Uncle Bobby."

"Why haven't you been in yet?"

"Haven't need to come into town. Uncle Bobby had to run a few errands, and I wanted some coffee."

The waitress was startled by my request, "Oh, coffee! How d'you like it?"

"Black, thanks."

She scurried off to the back and came out with a cup a half minute later. After I finished my coffee, I spent the rest of the day walking around town. Stopped in a few shops, then headed to the library. I researched and wrote stuff in my journal for the remainder of my time there.

At 2:30, I put my books away and headed back to the car. I leaned on the side and flipped through my newly added pages. A half hour passed and it slowly crept on 3:30, Bobby still wasn't at the car and I feared the worst. A simple ghost he had said. I worried, but I wasn't sure what I was going to do about it. I knew where he was and I could have easily gone and checked on him, but I had no idea what to do when I got there.

It was a few minutes to four when I went to the back of the car to fetch some supplies. A flash light, a lighter and a gun loaded with salt pellets was the only thing I trusted myself with. I left my journal in the car and headed for Bobby.  
\-----

The abandoned building was only a few minutes down the road. I climbed through a broken window and made my way around inside. I thought about calling Bobby's name, but that might have only caused more problems. I walked down a hallway, flashlight on, leading the way with the gun in my right hand.

I found Bobby's cap outside a doorway and knew it meant trouble. I slowly opened the door in front of me, pointing both the gun and the flashlight into the darkness ahead of me. The room was empty besides a couple of shards of broken glass. It got suddenly cold and my flashlight began to flicker before going out. I felt a presence in the room and turned around. Staring back at me was a pale boy, dressed in tattered clothes. I gasped. This was my first ghost.

A mix of excitement and fear filled my body. The ghost picked up a shard of glass and tossed it at me, I ducked and it shattered on the wall. I aimed my salt gun and put a pellet right through it's head. It disappeared in a fog. I tried to catch my breath, but my panting was so loud, I couldn't hear my own thoughts. "Bobby!" I shouted, not afraid of disturbing anything since I had already done that. I heard a faint answer from a lower level and made my way to the staircase I had seen upon entering.

Down five levels of basement I finally was close enough to understand what Bobby was shouting. Swear words mostly, as it sounded like he was fending off the ghost I had seen earlier. "The bones are in the back! Burn them!" He commanded.

I dug around in my pockets. Did I forget a lighter? I began to panic, but realized I had stored it in my jacket pocket and quickly went to find the bones. I walked through another dark hallway to find the back room. Used for what looked like storage of some sort, I began flipping through all of the boxes, until I found the bones. I pulled out the box off the shelf and lit the bottom on fire. The box was quite flammable and the whole thing went up in a couple of moments.

Bobby ran into the room, exhausted. "A simple ghost, huh?" I questioned.

"Layla, I told you to wait by the car."

I turned to him, "You're welcome."

He rolled his eyes and wiped some sweat from his forehead, "Sorry. Good job, kid."

"Does this mean I get to go on more hunts?", excitement in my voice.

He shook his head, "Hell, no. You still 've got a lot to learn." He looked at the gun in my hand. "Is that the salt gun?"  
"Yes."

"How'd you shoot?"

I shrugged, "Decently. I shot it through the head on the first try."

He crossed his arms, "From how far?"

I thought a moment, "Err... 6 feet, maybe."

He nodded, "Okay. Well, we better get you started on some gun trainin' when we get back."

I smiled. I was a little too pleased with that thought. Bobby left the room, "Head to the car, I'm gonna grab my stuff." He called back.

I nodded and made my way out of the building through a ground floor window. I was back to the car in under 5 minutes. I hopped into the shotgun seat.  
\-----

Back at Bobby's house, I began target practice before the break of dusk. Bobby set up a few targets out in the woods behind his house and he handed me a gun and a few bullets. "Do you know how to load a gun?"

I shook my head, "No."

He grabbed the gun back out of my hand. "Watch carefully." He loaded the gun slowly so I could see the steps, then unloaded it and handed it back. "Now you try."  
I recalled his recent actions and loaded the gun with some hesitations. After it was loaded I looked to Bobby for my next step. "Okay. Take a shot."

Bobby stepped back a foot or two and I brought the gun up and aimed at the target. I rested my finger on the trigger and took a deep breath in. BOOM.

Bulls eye.

I was startled. I had never fired a gun, much less, touch a gun, before today. "Beginners luck," I heard Bobby call from behind.

I brought the gun up again, aimed and fired.

Bulls eye.

Again I was startled. Again, Bobby figured I just got lucky.

Aimed.

Fired.

Bulls eye.

Bobby walked up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "You said you've never fired a gun before?"

I nodded my head, "Never even seen one in person."

"You got some talent, kid."

I smiled, "Does this mean I get to come on hunts?"

Bobby shook his head, "No."

My smiled drooped. "You got to learn the lore better, Layla. I promise, when you're ready, I'll let you know and you can tag along on a hunt. 'Til then, get back to the books and know them inside-out."

"Why was that boy haunting the warehouse?"

Bobby took his hand off my shoulder, "About 30 years ago, he in his friends were horsin' around in there and whole wall of mirrors came crashin' down, killin' the boy and injuring his friends."

"That would explain why he through a shard of glass at me."

"Yeah, there were reports of some strange noises at night. Thankfully, no one got hurt before I found out about it."

"How old was he, when he died?"

"Seven or eight."

I lowered my eyebrows. Bobby sensed my sorrow. "Bein' a hunter is never a happy job. We have to deal with tragic death everyday. But we do our job so that more people are saved. Without the hunters in the world, these damn creatures would kill everyone without an end."

I nodded. This could be a blessing. I would get the chance to save lives and not many people get to say that. "I can help people, too?"

"Yeah. The only perk of bein' a hunter. You make people's lives a bit better."

I smiled and Bobby and I walked inside.  
\----

Later that evening, while I was researching, Bobby stood up from the table where he had been on the computer, and walked back to his desk solemnly. I stopped in the middle of my sentence to look up at him, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, "Your picture just went up on the national missing persons site."

I felt a heaviness in my chest, an extreme and pained sorrow. "Oh." My voice my shaking, as was the rest of my body.

"They had your information on there. Everything. Including your date of birth."

I looked up at Bobby, "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, it's just that you were born August 21st, 1988."

I didn't understand why this was important, "Yeah, so?"

Bobby folded his arms, "Today is August 21st."

This information startled me. It had only felt like a week or two since that day in the woods, but that was mid-July. "Happy Birthday, Layla. Sorry you had to spend it like this." Bobby half smiled and headed to his desk, burying himself in a book.

"I'm 18."

Bobby looked up at me again and just starred for a moment. I watched as he searched my face for something to say, and I could see he meant well, but nothing he could have said in that moment would have made my situation any easier to deal with. I nodded, "I'm fine. It's okay."


	4. Wind of Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Layla has a life threatening run-in with her demon. However, she is aided by Bobby, Dean and Sam.

Over the following few months, I learned more than I could have imagined. There was a whole world that I was shielded from my entire life. And I'm not just talking about the supernatural stuff, but what the world was really like. My parents had tried so hard to keep all of the war, bloodshed and pain out of my life. We lived in that far off house in the woods for my benefit. And it was in those exact woods that I was emerged in the most fearful lifestyle a kid could imagine.

I was grateful that my parents would never find out what had actually happened to me that day. Why I acted so strange. Maybe my dad would have been slightly skeptical at first as to why the last time he spoke to his daughter it was on the topic of demons. I hoped that he would just wave any suspicions away and bury the memory of our last conversation along with the grief from my loss.

Everyday my parents remained safe, I remained optimistic. One day, when I was ready and prepared as I could ever be, I would take on the demon that had so changed the course of my life. One day, I could be with my parents again, feel the comfort of their embrace and the warmth of their smiles.

But I also stayed realistic. Bobby had told me, more times than I wish he did, that a hunter's life never ends in joy. It ends in sorrow, tears and pain. Being distant from the people you care about comes with the job. As Dean had told me, and I thought of the truth in his statement everyday, hunting rips families apart. I realized, along the course of my research, that in order to reach my goal, I would have to lie, I would have to steal, I would have to kill.

And after all that, in the years I would be absent from my family, would they take me back with arms open if they knew the truth? They'd ask. They'd wonder where I could have gone. And I'd have to tell them, and would they look upon their precious daughter the same? Even if I could have gone back, so many years would've past, and everything I stirred up along the way would follow me. Roughened, grief-stricken, tattered and broken, would they even recognize their daughter? Their sweet, innocent girl, turned demon-hunting warrior.

I pondered these ideas through my restless nights and my studious days. Every page I added to my journal was a layer of baggage I'd carry the rest of my life. I was still going to kill this demon, but I reminded myself, going home might never be a possibility.

“I have a job to take care of, we leave tomorrow.” Bobby announced out of nowhere.

“You might want to pack some stuff, 'cause we might be there awhile.”

I looked up from my work, “Not a simple ghost, then?”

“Far from it. Not sure what it is yet, but it's killing people and I have to go figure it out.”  
\----

The next morning, I threw by journal and a few of Bobby's books into my duffel and headed to the car. The drive was only a few hours, but it seemed longer since Bobby and I didn't share a single word. We drove into town and made our first stop at the local motel, checked in and unpacked in the room. Bobby began by posting all of the information he had so far on the case on the wall, connecting some dots as he went. He disappeared into the bathroom for awhile, then came out dressed in a nice suit with his hair tidied up. “Looking sharp.” I joked.

He turned to me, “I have some interviews to take care. See if I can't get anymore information on this case. You're gonna stay here, got it? No wondering around, you don't need to get into any trouble.”

I nodded, “Understood.”

He was gone for about 15 minutes when I began to tire researching. I had noticed a diner nearby on the way in, and decided to head there for something to eat. Before I left, I grabbed gun and tucked in the back of my pants, then covered it with my shirt.

\----

I arrived, sat down, had a burger and went on a walk through the woods behind the diner. It was quiet and cold. It had to be around November now, since most of the leaves were dead on the ground, meaning I'd been away from home for 4 months. It was nice to have a moment to myself, where I didn't have to research something or talk to Bobby about researching something. I had a chance to just be a normal girl, taking a stroll through the woods. Then I heard a twig snap. I hid behind a tree trunk and pulled my gun out, holding it firmly with both hands.

The snapping of twigs grew closer, I could tell that there were two people walking in my direction. What if they were normal people and I was making a big deal out of this? Then again, what if they were demons who came to get me. I made up my mind, jumped out and pointed my gun at the stranger's head. I looked down the barrel of my gun to be greeted with a familiar face. I lowered my gun, “Dean?”

Dean lowered his hands, “Layla? What are you doing here?”

The man with him seemed thoroughly confused, looking back and forth between Dean and I, “You know her?”

Dean looked at him, “Yeah.”

I tucked my gun back in the back of my jeans and looked at the man, “Dean practically saved my life.”

The man looked at Dean and then me again. I studied his face, “You must be Sam.”

His lowered eyebrows relaxed as he looked me up and down once, landing on my face again, “How do you know each other?”

Dean turned to Sam, “It was a job, about 4 months ago.”

“I'd just been given a death threat personally from a demon and decided I shouldn't stick around my house. I met Dean at a diner, he helped me back on my feet.”

“She's been staying with Bobby. Speaking of which, Layla, you still didn't answer my question.”

“What?”

Dean stretched his arms out to the side, “What are you doing here? Where's Bobby?”

I shoved my hands in my front pockets, “Bobby has a case to take care of here, and I decided to take a walk. What are you doing here?”

“A job. Sam and I were just passing through. Our dad's missing, we've been trying to find him.”

I could tell Dean's comment upset Sam slightly. I studied his face again, he seemed burdened with an unmanageable sadness. I guessed that he father going missing wasn't the only thing resting on his mind at the moment, “I'm sorry.”

“How'd you know my name was Sam?”

“Dean told me about you.”

Sam glared at Dean, which he responded with a shrug. “Nothing bad, just that you were his younger brother and that you were at Stanford.”

Sam released his glare and looked at me again, this time with a slight nervousness. I saw Dean notice this, “Come on let's go back into town.” Sam and I continued to make awkward eye contact. Dean grinned, and playfully slapped Sam on the arm, “Come on Sammy, don't go chasin' jail bait.”

put my hands on my hips, “I'm 18.”

Dean seemed startled, he licked his lips as he looked me up and down, just as Sam had done, “Oh, since when?”

“August.”

Dean bit his lower lip, I could tell he was about to spill some sort of cheesy pick up line. “Don't even try.” I warned.

Sam smiled, a let out a short laugh. It was Dean's turn to give Sam a death glare.

\----

We walked to Dean's car and rode back into town where Sam, Dean and I headed to the motel. Thankfully, Bobby hadn't returned yet. I showed the boys the stuff Bobby had dug up so far on the case. “This isn't what we're here for.” Dean told me.

Sam scanned the wall with a confused expression on his face, “Two huge and unrelated cases in the same small town. Does that seem strange to you?”

Dean scratched the back of his head, “Yeah, but maybe they're related somehow. Layla, what was Bobby out doing?”

“Interviews.”

“Did he say where?”

“Nope. Just told me to stay here.”

Dean scoffed. Sam smiled, “So, of course you went for a walk.”

“And I ate a burger. I was hungry, there's no food in this room.”

Dean smirked, “Can't argue with that.”

I sat down on my bed, “So, what case are you following?”

Sam set down his bag and brought out his laptop, resting it on the table. “There have been some strange disappearances in town lately. All of the victims are young brunette girls.”

A case where the victims all shared my description was slightly off-putting. Dean's eyes snapped to meet mine. Sam looked at me as his eyes widened, “You said Bobby wasn't following this case, right?”

“Yeah, I'm surprised he didn't know about it.”

Dean shook his head, “Bobby doesn't know about or else he wouldn't have brought you with him. Don't worry Layla, we'll keep you safe.”

“I'm fine.”

The doorknob turned and Bobby walked in, he first saw Dean, “Dean?”

“Hey, Bobby.”

Bobby took a step inside, closing the door behind him, when he noticed Sam, “Sam? What are you boys doing here?”

“A job.”

“How'd you find us?”

Dean paused, searching his mind for an answer, I starred at him so he'd know to cover me, “When we checked in, we saw your fake name on the room list and thought we'd say 'hi'.”

Thank you, I mouthed and Dean winked back. Bobby walked over to Sam, “Aren't you supposed to be in college?”

“I graduated last spring, Bobby.”

Bobby grew angry and stormed up to Dean, “You did this?”

Dean put his hands up, “Did what?”

“Sam was out, Dean, out of the life. He had a future, and you pulled him back in! What the hell kind of brother does that make you?”

Dean furrowed his eyebrows, “I didn't make him do anything!”

Sam turned away from his laptop, “It's true, Bobby, I chose to go with Dean.”

Bobby faced Sam, “Why?”

“Dad's missing.” Dean confessed.

Bobby looked back to Dean, “John? For how long?”

Dean took a deep breath, “About a month.”

“And?”

“I don't know.” Dean sat down on the bed, obviously disappointed in the lack of progress.

Bobby nodded, then looked at the wall covered in information, “So, your following this case?”

Dean shook his head. Sam looked at the wall then to Bobby, “No, we're on a different one. There's been a strange amount of kidnappings here in the last week and all of the victims are between the ages of 16 and 21. And all of them have dark brown hair.”

Bobby spun around and looked at me, “So, all of them would look similar to Layla?”

“Yup.”

“Well, balls.”

I rubbed my eyes, “I'm fine, Bobby. I've got you, Sam and Dean. Nothin's gonna get me.”

“Even more of a reason, now, to not leave here.” Bobby turned to Dean, “How many girls have been kidnapped?”

“Six.”

“Any leads?”

Dean stood up and walked over to Sam. He swiveled Sam's laptop, which had different articles displayed on the screen, “A couple of the victims' families. That could be a start.”

Bobby nodded, “Good, you and I will go and talk to them. Sam, Layla, you stay here.”

I looked over at Sam, then back to Bobby, “Okay.”

Dean quickly changed, then he and Bobby went on their way, leaving Sam and I alone. Sam continued on his laptop, as I tried to focus on one of Bobby's books, to no prevail. I looked over at Sam. If there was one thing the Winchester brother's shared, it was their good looks. Sam's soft, focused face was illuminated by the computer screen, 'till he caught me starring at him out of the corner of his eye. He looked over and smiled, nervously. I wasn't sure how to start a conversation with him and I didn't want to spend all of this time in complete silence. I cleared my voice and Sam glanced over at me. “So, Sam,” I began.

“Yeah?”

“What's it like always bein' on the road?” I rolled my eyes at myself for the stupid question, but Sam didn't seem to mind it.

He turned away from his computer and faced me, “Uh, well, it gets tiring after a while, but my dad could be in trouble and Dean and I are all he's got, so I don't mind it too much.”

I nodded, accepting his answer. “So, Layla,”

“Yeah?”

“You saw a demon and what happened?”

I sighed, “I was just relaxing in the woods, I did the same every weekend and this demon came out of nowhere and it knew my name, told me it was gonna get me, that I couldn't run forever. So, I hit the road, packed up some stuff and was out of there. I didn't want my parents to get hurt because of some beef I had with some demon. My parents are all I have, I couldn't-- I can't bare loosing them.”

Sam showed sympathy in his expression, “I bet they miss you.”

“I know I miss them.” I took a pause and a breath, “I know I'm never gonna see them again.”

Sam stood up, walked over and took a seat next to me on the bed, “That's not entirely true. You find this demon and kill it then, you could go home.”

I came close to tears, but held them in. I took another deep breath and turned to Sam. I didn't realize how close he was sitting to me, and it threw me slightly off guard. I collected   
myself, “Even if I kill that demon, I will still have everything that happened along the way stuck with me. My parents will wonder where I'd spent the years I was gone. Am I just supposed to tell them the truth? 'Cause they never believe that was the truth.”

Sam looked into my eyes, “Layla, they'd probably just be happy to have you home.”

I stood up, angry at his insistence, “Wouldn't I still be endangering them? I'm gonna have to do a lot of bad stuff to find and kill this demon, I'm gonna stir up some big trouble along the way, I just can't risk their lives for my happiness!”

Sam stood up and stepped close to me, looking down. He was about a half-foot taller than me. “Your mind's made up then?”

I nodded. He put his hands on my shoulders and made eye contact with me again, “Then figure out how to find happiness in your situation.”

“How do you do it?”

Sam smiled, “Well, I've got Dean, and we always play the stupidest practical jokes on each other, but they keep life from being too dark, and it's nice just to be able to laugh with   
him every once in a while.”

This didn't make me feel any better, but I smiled anyway, “At least you have Dean. I've got no one.”

“You've got me.” Sam blurted out. He seemed to regret it the second it exited his lips.

A huge smiled grew on my face, “Thank you, Sam.”

He nervously smiled, but the nervousness faded quickly as he realized how happy it had made me. He glanced over at his laptop, “Want to see what I found about this case?”

“Sure.” I smiled.

We walked over to his laptop and he began explaining everything he had found, and I was impressed. For the 10 minutes he had, he found a lot of stuff, more than I could find in that time, “How'd you find all of this?”

“Just know how. Keywords are important.”

I shifted uncomfortably, “So, what do you think is doing this?”

Sam looked at me and shook his head, “I don't know. None of it looks like anything I've run into before. Hopefully, Dean and Bobby found out something.”

"Hopefully."

As the last syllable escaped my lips, the lights began flashing, I looked at Sam, who seemed to be as confused by this as I was. The window behind me smashed open. Sam covered me from the flying glass as we took shelter on the ground. Sam and I quickly grabbed our guns and pointed at the person who had just abruptly entered the room. It was her. The demon that I had been running from. "Hi, Layla. Thought you could run?"

I was consumed with complete terror, I had my gun aimed at her head and somehow managed to pull the trigger. The shot fired and hit her square between the eyes. Her head jolted back, but she quickly brought it up again, "Nice try, but it'll take more than a gun to kill me, kid."

Sam jumped up to try to take her on, but she threw him against the wall with a twitch of her wrist, knocking him out. "Sam!" I cried.

The demon walked up to me and grabbed my braid, pulling my head back so that I'd look up at her, "Let's go." She whacked the side of my head hard.  
I blacked out.

\-----

When I opened my eyes, I was in a completely different place. A cold, and dark open room. I could feel my arms and legs bound to the chair I was sitting in. My heart was racing and my breathing was out of control. I attempted to calm myself down, but I failed miserably. "Sam!" I cried out, hoping he was there to help.

"Guess again." The demon's voice came from behind me.

She walked up, drew out a knife, and made a nice, clean cut across my cheek. I cried out in pain. She laughed, "Want me to stop?" She flicked her eyes, they became completely black, except for a deep blue-green color in place of where her irises would be.

"Why did you bring me here? Why am I so important to you?" I managed to get out.

I could feel the warm blood spilling down my face, it stung with every word I said. She smirked, "So many questions! Since when are you in a position to get any information from me?"

I took a deep breath as she brought knife to my face again. I tried not to make a sound, and bit my lip as hard as I could, but it was no use, I was screaming again. "Please," I begged, "Just give me a reason. I don't care what you do to me, just tell me why."

Her grin grew, my pain was delighting her, "It was a deal made long ago, that 1 month before your 18th birthday, I would find you so hell hounds could have you. But, I've been waiting so long for this day, I thought I'd treat myself."

A deal? Hell hounds? There were too many questions spinning through my head and I knew she wouldn't answer a lot more. "What deal?"

She laughed again, "I gave you the 'why' you were looking for, am not gonna tell you anymore. I'm gonna have my fun, then leave you for the hell hounds."

She brought the knife close to me again, this time going for my arm, then my leg. Some gashes deeper than others. My shirt became somewhat soaked in blood as I felt the warmth covering my left arm. At this point I was in so much pain, I became numb. "I'll kill you." I threatened.

She stopped her knife, "And how exactly?"

"I'll find a way." I gritted my teeth. As long as we talked, she wouldn't hurt me. "What's your name?" I asked, thinking of stupid questions.

She lowered her knife, I sighed in relief. "Back when I was human, they called me Eda."

This raised an eyebrow, "You were human once?"

She began to become annoyed, "Where you think demons came from? We were all human once, then we were dragged to hell and turned into this."

I looked at her for a moment, "Why did you change who you were possessing?"

Eda looked down at herself, then back to me, "I thought I'd dress up for the occasion."

"What happens to--"

Eda interrupted my question with a bash at my face. "Enough! The only thing I should hear out of you are your screams!"

She brought her arm up again, but her hand was shot from behind and her knife went flying. Eda grabbed her wrist as it sizzled. I tilted my body and saw Dean in the distance. He continued to hold his gun up, "A bullet covered in holy water, you son of a bitch."

He walked closer, threatening to shoot again, "You still with us, Layla?"

"Barely." My voice was soft and horse.

Eda smirked, "It's gonna take a little more than some holy water to stop me."

She motioned to the side with her hand, and Dean went flying, then was pinned against the wall. Eda turned to me, "Hope you brought more than just little Dean Winchester to help you out."  
I struggled in my seat, trying to loosen the ropes. A down pour of water came from behind and drenched Eda, sending her to her knees screaming. Dean was released to the ground. I turned my head, Sam was standing over me with a bucket in his hands, "Hey, Layla."

I half-smiled at him, which was the best I could do with the pain I was in. Bobby walked up to Eda, who was still compromised, with a book in his hand and began reading some Latin aloud. "What's he doing?" I asked Sam.

"An exorcism."

I watched as black smoke began to appear out of Eda's mouth. Then, it came shooting out before Bobby could finish. "Damn! She got away."

The girl Eda was possessing fell to the ground. Sam pulled out a knife and cut my ropes. As soon as I was released, I stood up and fell into Sam's arms. Sam held me close, "I'm sorry."

I dug my nails into his soft, flannel shirt. "Don't be, it wasn't your fault."

He pulled away and began checking my wounds. Dean and Bobby came up behind me, Bobby rested a hand on my shoulder, "Good to see you in one piece, kid."

"Thank you." I smiled at both of them.

The pain in my leg became to much, and I fell back in my seat. Sam took off his shirt, and began tearing strips of fabric, which then wrapped around my many cuts. I leaned over so I could see around Sam. The person Eda was possessing was still motionless. I looked up to Sam, "Is she--?"

Sam looked away from me to Dean and Bobby, then back to me. Bobby spoke up, "It's very rare for someone to live after they've been possessed. And the ones that make it end up spending the rest of their days in a mental hospital."

"Did I--? Would she still be alive if I hadn't shot her?"

"Hard to tell, she went through a lot."

I couldn't take my eyes off her. I felt terrible. Shooting her got me nothing, except a death on my conscience. Sam was done wrapping me up, and put his hands on my shoulders, "You okay?"

I nodded and he helped me to my feet. I looked down at her again, "What are we gonna do with her?"

"Bury, salt and burn her," Dean began, "We don't need her ghost coming around here."

I couldn't help but begin to feel the guilt sink into my stomach. Sure, that demon did some damage, but I was the one who put a bullet through her skull. If I had taken a second to think through my actions, she'd still be breathing, she could go back to her family. They'll never know what happened to her. For the rest of their lives they'll be hoping. Wondering. Waiting.

Bobby turned to Dean, "Well, let's get her out of here." Motioning to innocent girl on the ground. "Sam, help Layla to the car and start heading back to Sioux Falls. Dean and I will catch up later."

Dean dug through his pockets, "Here," Dean tossed Sam a set of keys, "Take the Impala."

Sam nodded and helped me to my feet, "The car is close," he reassured me.

"I'm fine." I lied.

\-----

We made it to the car, stopped by the motel for our stuff, then we were on our way. Sam seemed more bothered by all of this than me, I watched him for a minute before he noticed me, "What?"

"You sure you're okay?"

Sam sighed, "Layla, I'm just glad you're safe."

I rubbed my eyes, "Sam... There was nothing you could do. You tried. And that's the most you could've done. I'm okay. I'm alive. So, don't beat yourself up over it."

Sam turned to me, "Same goes for you, then."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not your fault that girl is dead. After what she went through, she would be dead anyway. If it makes you feel any better, if you hadn't shot her, her death would have been slow and painful. You did her a favor."

I felt a tear stream down my face and quickly wiped it away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam glance over at me. "Layla..."

"I'm fine." My voice was horse.

Sam took a long look at me, "It's okay." He put a hand on my shoulder a gently rocked me back and forth.

He smiled. I felt terrible inside, but somehow, Sam was still able to make me smile back.

\------

Back at Bobby's house, Sam stitched up the deeper cuts. I tried to keep a brave face, but ended up wincing with everything he did, which he always followed with a "sorry".  
After he was done, I showered, changed into a fresh set of clothes and got a glass of water, "Want anything?" I asked from the kitchen as I brought the cup to my lips.

"No thanks, I'm good."

I limped into Bobby's study, where Sam was sitting on the couch, flipping through a book that had been resting in his seat. I stood in the doorway for a moment, then joined him. "What was it like living a normal life?" Sam asked, his face still in the pages of the book.

I took a sip, "Ah...uneventful, I guess. But, I wouldn't really classify my life as being normal."

"Why's that?" Sam set down his book and turned to me.

"I kind'a lived in isolation. It was just me and my parents in a little old house in the woods. I was home schooled and lonely."

"Who taught you?"

"Both my parents. My mom would teach me while my dad was in town doing his job, then visa versa."

I took another sip as Sam examined my face, "You didn't have any friends?"

"Nope."

"So, you never had anybody."

I brought the glass away from my face slowly, "What do you mean?"

"Like, you know. Someone."

I grinned, "If you're asking if I have some guy desperately awaiting my return, then, no. I don't."

Sam nodded, he seemed please about this, "What about you Sam? Any special girls?"

His expression turned dark. "I used to. Her name was Jessica.”

"What happened?"

"She died."

I instantly felt horrible. I had just dug up the very thing eating his insides. What I had seen when we met, "I'm sorry." I rested my hand on his hand and he held it tight.

"I can't talk about this sort'a stuff with Dean, he doesn't do feelings."

I squeezed his hand tighter, "That's why I'm here."

I watched over his expression of gratitude as he stared into my eyes. This is the guy who risked his life for me twice, and I just met him today. I started to feel something for him and I realized that if I stayed around here, Sam wouldn't be the only one in danger. Bobby and Dean also risked their butts for me today, walked up face to face with a demon just to save my life. I released my grip on Sam's hand, "I can't do this."

"Do what?"

"Put you in danger. Put Bobby and Dean in danger. Am I really worth your lives?"

Sam grabbed my hand again, "That's what friends are for."

"I don't want to put you in danger again. You, Dean and Bobby could have died today risking your assess for me."

"So, what are you gonna do about it?"

"Go off on my own, I guess."

"Layla, you can't just keep running, you need us--."

The front door opened. Sam let go of my hand and returned it to his lap. Dean turned the corner first, followed by Bobby, "How you holding up?"

"Better, now."

"How many stitches?" Dean humored.

"Enough."

Sam folded his arms, "Layla is thinking of going off on her own."

Bobby glared at me, "Like hell you are!"

I stood, "You almost got yourselves killed today!"

"Yeah, saving your life."

"My point exactly! That demon isn't gonna stop 'til I'm dead, I don't want any of you trapped in the crossfire."

Bobby didn't have a retort to offer, Sam kept his arms crossed. Dean stepped closer, "Did the demon say why she was after you?"

"Ah--Something about a deal. That 1 month before my 18th birthday, she'd find me, and hounds would drag me to hell."

Bobby shifted, "Hounds? You mean hell hounds?"

"Yeah."

"Well, more of a reason to stay!"

"Or more of one to leave. As long as I'm on the run, Eda will have a harder time finding me."

"Eda?" Dean asked.

"My wonderful demon friend."

"You're really set on leaving, then?" Bobby seemed disappointed.

I nodded, "It'll keep everyone safer."

"I'll get some stuff set up for you then. Some fake I.D's, a car."

Sam stood up, "You're not serious? You actually think this is a good idea?"

Bobby nodded. "Dean?" Sam begged.

Dean shrugged, "What? I'd do the same thing, so would you. I think Layla is more than capable of handling herself."

"Thank you."

Sam looked to me again.

"I know you're trying to look after me, but, Sam, this is what I need to do."

Sam reluctantly sat back down, “Okay.”

\--------

In the morning, when I was packed and ready to go, Bobby handed me the keys to my car and said goodbye with a hug. “Stay safe. I stay in touch, I don't wanna go months without hearing from you.”

“Don't worry.”

Dean was next in line, his charismatic grin was filling his face, but he wasn't fooling me. I saw right through the act. He was scared for me, “Watch your back. If you need something, call, okay?”

“Will do.”

Dean patted me on the shoulder. Last was Sam, who had tears in his eyes, but smiled anyway. I wrapped my arms around him and he held me tight for a moment. I smiled and waved one last time, then walked through the door. I was about to start a new chapter in my life, and it scared the hell out of me. I started the car and pulled out of Bobby's driveway. The Singer Auto sign in my rear-view mirror.


	5. Highway to Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Layla realizes her safety might be secured if she lives on the road, that way the demon will have a harder time tracking her where-abouts. Layla says goodbye to her new found family and heads out on her own.

Life on my own. I drove out of Sioux Falls with fear in my heart, but there was no way I could stay. Eda hadn't died that night we faced her. I knew, if I ever saw her again, she would kill me. There was no way I could kill her by myself, and I wasn't going to risk the lives of the people I cared about. I was going to die, I was going to hell, but I didn't need to drag everyone along for the ride.

Without me, Bobby could get back to taking on his jobs, without having to worry about me in the middle of it all. Sam and Dean could get back to finding their dad. Staying would have probably lead to either Sam, Dean or both of them staying behind, too. And, I wasn't about to come between their family.

I didn't know what falling in love felt like. And spent most of days alone figuring out if that's what I felt for Sam. I thought of Sam everyday. I'd always open my phone, scroll through my contacts and land on his name, thinking whether or not I should call. I didn't want to be a bother, so I didn't. It was foolish to dwell on, but he always crossed my mind, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were gonna mean a lot to each other one day.

I spent the beginning of my farewell trip sightseeing. Stopped by Mount Rushmore, took a hike through Yellow Stone. I tried to stay in the mountains as long as possible, it's where I felt the most at home, but the farther west I went, the closer I got to Montana, and the closer I got to Whitefish, my hometown. I knew leading Eda close to my parents would not be a good idea.

I hooked southwest and drove along the west coast, stopping a various cities along the beach, just enjoying the warm air and the soft sand. Taking in every sensory moment. Spending time with Sam and now being able to enjoy myself, I was extremely carefree. Though, I knew it wouldn't last long.

My last stop was the grand canyon. A big hole in the ground. It was all too glaring, the fact that sooner than I really wanted to believe, I myself was going to be in a big hole in the ground.

On that note, my tour ended, I began driving in random zig-zags and circles to keep Eda off my trail. Using the fake I.D Bobby had given me, I was known to everyone at my stops as Erica Clapton, age 21. Which was nice, I guess, but because of it, I couldn't find an excuse for myself not get wasted every night I spent alone. Reality was setting in, and sleep wasn't easy to come by. So, to pass the hours and knock myself out, drinking it was. It took the edge off, but I could feel myself slowly crumbling apart.

Weeks passed of this routine, stopping in a town, grabbing a bite to eat and some cheap beer from the local store, then heading to the nearest motel to drink and sleep my problems away. I desperately tried to pull myself back together, but I knew what I needed, someone to talk to. I couldn't pull them back into my life, it wouldn't be fair to them. I said my goodbyes, and that was the last they'd hear of me.  
Now and again, I'd get a call from Bobby, but I never answered it, I just checked the voice mail messages. He was always asking how I was doing, and to call me back. I though of calling back, saying I was fine and dandy, except, I thought it would be easier if he thought I was dead.

I started running low on cash my 8th week on my own. I would have probably lasted longer, hadn't it been for my new found alcohol problem. I picked up jobs here and there, and not hunting jobs. Just normal, average Joe jobs. I'd work a few nights waitressing, picking up the generous tips, then I'd paint the outside of someone's house, or mow their lawn.

I was always tempted to pick up a hunting job. And believe me, their were plenty to be had. Every town I passed through had strange stuff going on. I always payed attention to make sure there weren't any demonic omens.

I didn't ask for it, but with one of the houses I was working on, some crazy stuff started to happen. The owner talked to me about how he had heard that his house was haunted, and he never believed it until he saw a ghost the previous night. I, of course, was all ears, and asked if there was anything inside the house he needed painted, since he had just bought the house and was renovating anyway.

He fell for my scheme, and gave me a set of keys. He didn't live in the house yet, so he didn't mind what time of day I went to work. Around midnight, I arrived at his house, with my arsenal of equipment Bobby had given me. EMF detector in hand, I swept every inch of that place, and found nothing. Figuring the owner had just been seeing things, I started to leave.

I was stopped by the angry ghost that haunted the house, closing all the doors and windows so there was no escape. Lucky for me, the ghost's bark was worse than it's bite, and I took care of it, and the painting, before sunrise.

The owner payed me my promised amount, and I was on my way, again. He'd never know that I was the reason he'd never have to deal with the supernatural while living in his house, and I didn't mind. The less people wrapped in this crazy business the better.

This sort of pattern continued. I'd be in a town for the night, and hear of some crazy story I just had to check out. I was properly hunting for the first time. I wasn't as afraid anymore, I was drinking less, and I felt...happier. I was still alone, but I didn't feel completely doomed.

Though, the longer I stayed away from Eda, the angrier she must have grown. Restlessly chasing me cross country, just trying to do her job and failing miserably. I knew our meeting wouldn't be anything less than pure torture, a pre-hell of sorts. The scars on my face I saw when glancing at a mirror reminded me of that.

\-------

Month 5. I got a call. This time it was from Sam. And just like the calls from Bobby, I left it for voice mail, and checked it later. “Hey, Layla. It's me, Sam,” he began, “Bobby called Dean and I because you haven't been answering your calls, and he's worried about you. We all are. So, Layla, if you hear this, just give Bobby, Dean or I a quick call, just to say you're doing fine and we don't have to worry.” He took a long pause, but I could still hear his breathing on the recording, “I miss you, Layla. I hope you're okay. Call me, Bobby or Dean when you get this. Talk to you soon.”

Similar to my debate before, I was fine with them believing that I was dead, but with the sorrow in his voice, I could tell Sam felt that I meant something to him, and he meant something to me too. That night, instead of drinking X amount of bottles of beer, I picked up the phone and dialed his number. He answered within the first 5 rings, “Uh, hello?”

“Sam?”

“...Layla?”

I smiled, “Yeah, it's me.”

I could hear relieved laughter on his side, “We thought you were dead. Why didn't you answer any of Bobby's calls?”

“I thought it would be better if I just stayed out of your lives.”

“Well, it wouldn't be. What changed your mind? I mean, you're talking to me, now.”

“You.”

“Me?”

“You changed my mind because I remembered the time we had together, and hearing your voice made me want to feel that again.”

Sam's smile was audible, “I've missed that, too.”

“What 'bout your dad, any closer?”

There was a long pause, “Yeah, he called last week.”

“So he's okay.”

“Yeah. He found out what killed my mom, and Jess.”

“What did it?”

I heard Sam sigh heavily, I could tell he was holding back tears, “A demon.”

I sat back in my chair. Not sure how to respond, I paused. “Layla?”

“Yeah, I'm still here. A demon though. I'm starting to really hate those things.”

Sam let out a short, pained laugh, “Yeah... What about you, what have you been doing?”

“Driving, mostly. Some jobs--”

“Hunting?”

“No, I needed some money.”

“How were you out? What were you spending it on?”

“Sam, I've been lonely, these past few months of practically driving to my death haven't been the most fun.”

“So, what then?”

“Let's put it this way. According to my license, I'm 21.”

“Layla...”

I sat back on the edge of my seat, “No, don't worry, I'm doing a lot better now.”

“What's been helping you?”

I sighed, “Hunting.” I murmured.

“Hunting? But you just said--”

“I lied okay. I've been hunting, yeah, but I haven't been taking on anything I can't handle. Simple ghosts in old houses. Real novice stuff. But, it's the best I've felt in a while.”

“If you say so--.” Sam paused, I could hear a door open then Dean's voice in the background, “Who you talking to?”

“Layla.” Sam said, talking to Dean.

“So, she's okay then?”

“Yeah, she's fine.”

“Good, that's good... Ah, we gotta go, Sammy.”

“Okay,” I could hear his breath over the speaker again, “I'll talk to you later, Layla. Be sure to call Bobby, though, and stay safe.”

“You too, Sam.”

The phone line went dead on his side, and I leaned back in my seat again with a smile. The emptiness of that musty motel room didn't seem as jarring. I called Bobby, to his surprise. He had put my name out through a web of some hunter friends of his, and since he hadn't heard anything back, he figured I was dead. I told him I was hunting, which he immediately objected to, telling me not to do anything that would get me killed before my time.

We talked about what Eda had told me that night, about the deal, and Bobby couldn't figure out what kind of deal it could be, since deals were normally made by selling your own soul and not someone else's. But if someone did sell my soul, then who was it? The only people I ever knew before any of this were my parents, and they'd never do that, right? Why would they have a reason to?

It was strange, since normally when your time's up, the hell hounds find you one way or another. But this time, Eda seemed to have to release them, leading Bobby to guess it was Eda the one who agreed to the deal, and the one who owns my soul. Because her eyes weren't the typical all black, must've meant she was fairly high up on the totem pole, making this the reason she was able to make the deal on her own terms. There was still the who, and the why, but Bobby told me not to think about it, and to just focus on staying alive.

\----

Weeks passed, must of been around 4. By myself. On the road. Days in hunting jobs, nights in cheap motels. Alcohol was present, but not overwhelming, I learned to sleep without it.

I met a hunter in Nevada, a friend of Bobby's, named Jocelyn Wayne. We took a case in Virginia City together. A haunting, the usual. It was easy to take care of, a one person job really, but she was nice company.

She new about my deal, apparently a lot hunters did, and they were all wondering the same thing, of how it ended up that my soul was sold to Eda by someone else. Demon deals were a bit of a personal subject for Jocelyn, since it was how she lost her mother who had sold her soul, after her husband died, to save his life. Her parents were hunters, so she became one, too.

Jocelyn and I sat in two lawn chairs on the porch of her house. “Demons are strange,” she explained, eyes on the Nevada desert beyond her fence. “Maybe this Eda chick thought that you'd make a nice addition to hell.”

“But, who made the deal? My parents don't have a clue about this sort of stuff.”

“Know that for sure,” she took a sip from her beer bottle, “My parents were hunters years before I was born, but I didn't know that 'til my momma was ripped to shreds by hell hounds. Try explaining that to your 5 year old.”

“No way they're hunters.” I argued.

“Maybe not 'hunters' like you and me, but one of them knew enough to summon a damn crossroads demon, but it doesn't take much for that. An old story is really all you need to know how, and supplies are easy enough to come by. Whoever made the deal in your family must've been mighty desperate.”

“Anyway of getting out off a deal?”

Jocelyn lowered her beer slowly and looked at me, shaking her head, “Sorry hon, a deals a deal.”

I took a slow sip of my beer, feeling the cool liquid flow down my throat relieved it of Nevada's dry heat. I fanned myself with my left hand while I pressed the cold exterior of my beer bottle on the side of my neck, “I'm going to hell.”

“Not if you stay on your toes, keep on the move. Don't be stupid and try to kill Eda or anything, the second you're in her sight, she'll set the hounds on you, no doubt.”

I set the bottle on my leg and ran my fingers down the side, “I mean when I die. Whether it's tomorrow or in 50 years, when I die, I'm going to hell.”

Jocelyn shifted to the front of her chair, putting her hand on my knee, “Don't think 'bout it, Layla. You've got time to enjoy yourself. And maybe in those 50 plus years you have, you'll find a way to get out of your deal or kill Eda safely. Hell's a while away, hon, don't give up on yourself quite yet.”

I stayed with Jocelyn for about a week. She taught me everything she knew about hunting, demons, demon deals, hell hounds, her whole life collection of knowledge. I wrote every word into my journal, accompanied with pictures from the books she showed me.

She took me to the local bar every night, where she taught me to play pool and make a few drinks, "Money needs to come from somewhere." She told me.

When it was time to leave, she warned me not to go after Eda, “Unless you have a hankerin' to take a trip downstairs.” Our goodbye was quick, and I was out of Nevada, on to my next destination.

\------

I was comfortable for a few weeks. Well stocked on money, hitting jobs at every stop, and phoning Jocelyn if I needed someone to talk to. Every town I stopped in, I picked up jobs at bars. I hustled pool at first, then picked up a more honest cash flow with my bar-tending skills.  
I met some interesting people along the way. Some were hunters, but most were just ordinary average joes. They always asked about the scars on my face and I was always hesitant to answer. I told them it was a car accident, and they seemed happy with that.  
The hunters, on the other hand, knew the truth and didn't even have to ask. When they'd recognize me, they'd always introduce themselves along with, "We're friends of Bobby's."

We'd talk for a while, sharing theories on the whole Eda ordeal. It confused the rest of the hunter world as much as Bobby. In all the hunters I talked to, none of them had a clue as to why I hadn't been dragged to hell already.

One town I stopped in, I met a guy. Phillip Sparks. He was a bartender and I was a waitress. I had heard a legend about the building the bar was in, that it was once were prisoners of a now gone jail were hanged, and that a spirit of one of the deceased haunted the bar and sometimes scared away it's costumers and employees. I decided to work late one night and agreed to lock-up, but my intentions weren't made public.

I grabbed my bag of hunting gear from my car and set up base. I had an EMF detector, a jar of salt, some iron tools and a gun pumped full of salt pellets at my disposal. Everything was going well, I had angered the spirit and was about to gank it when someone walked through the front door.

"We're closed!" I yelled, holding my gun in one hand, with the other attempting to burn the bones of the restless spirit.

"It's Phillip." The voice called back.

I panicked. He could not get involved with what was happening. He could get killed or injured. Before I had the chance to light my lighter, Phillip walked into the room. His eyes widened as he lunged backwards in fear. The spirit sensed him and did a 180 in his direction, which gave me enough time to ditch my gun and light up the bones.

The angry spirit dissolved in a fiery display moments before attacking Phillip. He uncovered his eyes and looked over to me, breathless.

I helped him back up the stairs to the main bar area and told him the truth, because there was no way of getting around what he had just witnessed, "So, I just saw a ghost?" He questioned as he starred off in space.

"Mmm hmm." I nodded as I poured him another glass of whiskey.

He downed it and barely flinched, "But that's impossible. But i-it's not 'cause I saw it."  
He brought his eyes to mine, "So, you hunt ghosts... for a-a livin'?"

"Yup." I filled it up my glass for the third time with some beer from the tap. I took a sip.  
Phillip grabbed the bottle of whiskey and poured himself another glass. He took a big gulp before turning to me again, I smiled curled up on his face, "Is your name really Erica?"

I shook my head and took a sip of beer. Phillip grinned, "Come on then, what is it?"

"Layla."

Phillip took another sip, and slowly lowered his glass, "That is a beautiful name. Suits you, you are a very beautiful woman." Phillip slurred.

I ran my fingers through my hair. I could tell he had a little too much to drink at this point and moved his glass of whiskey out of his reach, "You're drunk, let's get you home."

I walked around the bar, and helped him to his feet. He slumped into my arms, and his face was an inch away from mine, "Your eyes are gorgeous, Layla. Di-did anyone every tell you that?"

"It's the whiskey talking."

Phillip stood upright and shoved me away, "Layla, I've barely hit my limit. Can't a guy give you compliments without being wasted out of his mind?"

I thought a moment, "No guy has ever given me compliments before."

Phillip stepped closer, pulling me in, "Did they know Erica or Layla, 'cause Erica may be a pretty, darn good waitress, but Layla is a beautiful kick-ass ghost buster." A smiled crawled across his face as he leaned in close to mine.

Before I could react, he pressed his lips gently against mine. He ran his hand down my back, and I grabbed his waist, pressing his body against mine. His other arm ran up the back of my ribs. I ran my hands up his back and into his hair as our kissing became passionate. I pulled away, breathless and looked him in the eyes, "I've never done that before."

"What? Ran your fingers through a guy's hair?"

"No, kissed someone."

He held tightly on to my waist as I lowered my hands to his shoulders, "Never?" He seemed shocked.

"I'm telling the truth."

"Layla, the bad-ass ghost buster, has never kissed anyone. Sorry, but I’m having a hard time believing that."

I pushed him away, "Believe it or not. It's true. And if I wasn't drunk right now, I wouldn't have let it happen."

A smug grin crawled across his face. "Will you regret it in the morning?" He joked.  
I smirked, then led my gaze to my feet, "I'll be gone by morning." I returned my eyes to his. He seemed saddened, "Ghost busters stay on the move. It's our way of life."

"You really have to go?" He walked closer, brushing my hair aside.

"I've over stayed my welcome already."  
"You've been here a week."

"I normally only stay in a town for a night."

Phillip dug his hands in his pockets and leaned against the bar, "What's different 'bout here then?"

What was different about here? I'd only met Phillip 6 days ago, but there was something about him that seemed worth staying for. And maybe it was my still teenage heart jumping around, since, had you asked a few months ago, I'd say the same about Sam. But Phillip still seemed worth my time, though I feared I endangered him by being close. Maybe it was his charm or maybe it was his innocence from all the supernatural stuff in this world that caught my fancy, but Phillip seemed like someone I could trust and maybe even love, if that was even a thing. "You." I answered, after a long silence.

"Me?"

"It sounds so cheesy, I know, but you... you just seemed right."

"But now you're leaving."

"You know too much now. I'm endangering you by being here."

"I can handle myself. Please Layla, please stay."

I shook my head. Phillip walked over to me, gently grabbed my face in his hands and pressed his lips, again, against mine. We shared a smiled, "I've kissed a few girls in my day, Layla, and I thought I felt something with them, but then I kissed you, and it's different. Good different. So, stay, please."

I held his face in my hand, "I can't. I'm sorry."

I ripped out of his embrace, packed up my stuff and headed for the door. "Wait!"

I turned around to Phillip. "What?"

"If you need anything in the future, someone to talk to, shoulder to cry on, a place to stay...I'll be here.” He tried to smile.

I grabbed a napkin from the counter and scribbled my number, then handed it to him, “You get into any trouble, call.” I planted a soft kiss on his lips one last time before exiting the bar.  
Phillip slowly slipped to the back of my mind over the months, but he was still there. His smile, his voice, the feeling of his lips against mine all triggered a smile to spread across my fatigued face. I moved on, sort of.

Jobs were easy to come by, and hunting jobs were even easier. Life was looking up. But, then I had a dream, a nightmare.

Hell hounds. Chasing me through the woods I first saw Eda in. I tried, but I couldn't out run them and was attacked from behind. I could feel them ripping my skin apart and tearing my arms and legs to a pulp. Then, I woke up, panting.

This dream continued for a while, then it got worse. Hell in high-heels, quite literally. Eda found me, well, in the dream, I found her. I went to her, told her I was tired of running, that I had lost everyone and everything, and that I was done. I welcomed my deal with open arms.

Wearing a brand new meat-suit, she took no mercy. Torturing me until my voice was so horse, I couldn't scream anymore. She slid the knife down my arm once more, "This is just a preview, Layla. Hell is worse than this, believe or not."

I spat some blood onto the floor, "Tell me something?" I begged with the remainder of my strength.

Eda lowered her knife, she raised an eyebrow. "Who made the deal?"

She walked close, bent down so her mouth was next to my ear, and she whispered the answer, but I couldn't hear it. I still reacted, angry at whatever she'd told me. She laughed maniacally as she ordered her hell hounds to attack. They knocked me over in the chair I was bound to, and I could feel them tearing me apart.

This time, I woke up screaming, covered in sweat. I left the motel that night so that no suspicions would arise. I drove all night, not stopping once. I couldn't get the images and feelings out of my mind, it all felt so real. I could still feel the path of her knife and taste the irony flavor of blood in my mouth that no amount of alcohol could take care of.

I began sleeping in my car rather than I hotel rooms, a gun in one hand and a jar of salty holy water in another. Every night I'd dream of Eda and every night I'd wake up screaming and unable to fall back asleep. The dreams began to feel more and more real, if that was even possible. I began having a hard time figuring out when I was sleeping and when I was awake. The images of Eda were causing me more pain that she might ever know.

"You can't really hurt me, you aren't real." I taunted Eda one night.

She snickered, "Are you sure of that?"

I mustered my strength for another question, "What do you mean?"

She tossed the knife in the air and caught it, blade side in her hand. Blood began to flow from her closed palm, "I control this dream, Layla. I'm not real, as you can see, but I am projecting myself here."

She released the knife and it landed on the floor with a clang. "Layla, these dreams won't stop until you find me. And don't try running to your parents, Dean, Bobby, Jocelyn, Phillip or your precious Sam again, because I will kill them, as well as you, don't doubt my abilities."

And, as every nightmare ended, Eda released the hell hounds, and I, again, woke up to the sound of my own horrified shrills.

Being awake and being asleep hurt the same. Drinking didn't cut the pain, even hunting didn't help, since I was too sleep deprived to get a case together. I gave up. I stayed put in one town. I threw all the salt and holy water away and waited for Eda.

I ignored the phone calls I got from Bobby, Jocelyn and Sam. By the nature of their voice mails, I could tell as the months went by. Eda still didn't find me, but the dreams continued.

Drinking filled my days and nights. I tried spending as many days as possible without sleep, without getting any farther than 3 at a time.

On the final night of the 5 month of waiting, I ran out of money, I ran out of alcohol. And as I sat alone in my car, I turned my gun to my head. Tears streamed down my cheeks and the only sound was my sobs. I adjusted my hand on the handle and laid my finger in the trigger.

Then the phone rang. I argued whether or not I should pick it up and eventually did. I looked at the caller I.D, it was Bobby. I waited for it to go to voice mail, then listened to the message. "Layla. I haven't heard from you in 7 months. No one has. I hope you're doing well. Layla... Sam's in trouble. He was with Dean and just disappeared. I'm heading to meet Dean now, but if you want, head to the house, we'll probably be there at some point. Please call when you get this."

Sam. The boy I may be in love with. He was in trouble, he needed my help. I wiped the tears with my sleeve and began dialing Bobby's number, then rested it against my ear. 3 rings. "Hello?"

"Bobby?" My voice broke as the tears continued.

"Who is this?"

"It's me, it's Layla."

There was a brief pause, "Layla?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Everyone thought you were dead, again, how hard is it to pick up a damn phone and give me a call?"

"These last few months haven't been easy, Bobby."

"Same here."

"She got into my dreams, Bobby."

"Your dreams? Sure it was her?"

The tears started again, and I couldn't get them to stop, "Layla, are you alright?"

"No." I managed, "I haven't sleep right in 5 months."

"When the dreams started?"

"Yeah."

"What were the dreams about?"

"Ah, Eda... torturing me... like she did before. Every dreams ended with the hell hounds getting me."

I could hear Bobby sigh, and I tried to keep my sobs to a minimum, but I knew he could hear them. "Layla, we'll figure this out."

"You gotta help Sam."

"I know what he means to you. Just get back to the house, board yourself up and Sam, Dean and I will meet you there soon, okay?"

"I'll be there."

"See you then, Layla."

"Okay."

"This will all be fine, you'll see."

He hung up and I sat my phone on the passenger side of the car, next to my gun. I started the car, and headed down the road, off to see Sam.


End file.
